The Black Bull Inn — Restaurant in England

A waste of £79.60 + £15 for Morrisons Meal Deals Was excited to have a Sunday Lunch and a get together with my 3 grown up children. Booked a table for 2 pm and asked for the bill at 2.35 pm! Looked nice on entering but was quite cold. Noticed other patrons still had their coats and jackets on and some were eating. First red flag. Young waitress took our drinks order while we looked at menu. We ordered 2 roast beef, 1 chicken and 1 mixed meat. Food was served within 10 minutes. 2nd red flag. One of my sons food was cold as was my mashed potatoes and vegetables. The gravy was like water. The roast potatoes were anaemic. No flavour, no crispness whatsoever. My eldest said they were frozen potatoes as they are like the ones he gets at his work. Definitely not homemade in meat juices! My other two said their meals were ok but I knew they were trying to not upset me. Then when we looked at the 2 slices of beef on our plates, I nearly threw up! There was gristly fat around the outside, but the worst was the HUGE slab of uncooked, white, slimy fat in the middle of the slices. There was more fat than meat. My sons said their meat was the same. You wouldn't serve it to your dog! I have never in my 60 years been served such a horrid meal. I have had so much better at a Toby Carvery! I could not eat it. When the waitress came to the table she asked if the meal was ok, I said no, it was inedible and explained why. She said that she would speak to the kitchen. She came back with the bill but no apology, nothing. Just says it all really. We drove away hungry and I was upset. We went to Morrisons on the way back and I bought them all a meal deal. I filled in a survey online, but yet again, have never...

After looking at lots of reviews for other places to stay in Northumberland my husband and I chose The Black Bull, and we were so glad we did. Lowick is a little village just off the A1 approx 20 miles north of Alwick. The Black Bull sits in the middle of the village and provides first class accommodation. We had asked for a quiet room, so we were placed at the back of the property which lacked somewhat for a view of any kind but was very quiet. The room was spacious and beautifully decorated to high standard, (as was the whole of the pub.) The large double bed was extremely comfortable and we both slept soundly. We had an ensuite shower room, with a superb shower and thick towels. The room also had a flat screen television and the usual hairdryer, hospitality tray, and best of all an iron and ironing board! We had also booked to eat our meal the evening which was a good job we did as they were busy every night. The evening menu was exemplary. We usually try to order something when we are out, that we wouldn't normally have at home. That wasn't a problem. What was a problem was which to choose! We stayed for 5 nights and had something different each night. The food was excellent. Beautifully cooked and presented. The staff were fantastic, attentive enough ensure that their diners had great experience. Nothing seemed to be too much trouble for them, no matter how busy they were. Breakfast was another culinary experience with all the usual breakfast requirements, plus a few surprises. Try the Continental Platter! All in all our stay at The Black Bull was excellent and we will definitely be returning the next time we visit...

Poor customer service. We (2 adults and a child) arrived at 8.40 to join 4 other friends who were already seated and had already ordered. The person on the front desk pointed us in their direction but omitted to mention "by the way, the kitchen closes at 9, so you should order now if you want to eat". We sat down, chatted for a bit, and then another waitress brought out fish and chips to our friends, but then turned her back and left without asking what we wanted, even though we were sat at the same table. After a while and not getting served I decided to go to the bar first. After ordering the drinks I asked about food - "you have to order it with the waiting staff" was the reply. So I sat down again... After another 5 minutes and still not getting served I got and went to find someone. "Sorry" came the response, "kitchen closes at 9pm". I looked at my watch, 8.59... on seeing this, she said "but last orders are at 8.45", just about the time we arrived. No attempt was made to offer a sandwich or an alternative, she just turned and left. The whole concept of anticipating that we may want to eat as we were joining others who were eating, or trying to find a solution as we already had drinks by this point didn't even occur to them. From the other reviews it seems if you get there early you will eat well... Just a pity we didn't get the...